o 



5 Y 



O T II 



the pols should be frequently removed, to pi 

 the plants from rooting through the holes in the 

 bottoms of the pots into the gr mnd, which the) 

 lo when they continue long undis- 

 turbed, and when thc\ shoot very luxuriantly; 

 and on their being removed, these shoots, and 

 sometimes the whole plants, are destroyed. 



A< the plants are too tender to live in the open 

 air in this climate, they should be placed in the 

 green-house in October, and he treated in the 

 same manner as Myrtles, and other hardy green- 

 house plants, which require a large shire i 

 in mild weather j and in the beginning ol 

 the plants removed into the open air, and ; 

 in a sheltered situation during the sunnnei sea- 

 son. As the lirst and second sons are very 

 thirsty plants, tbey should have plenty of water. 



These plants afford variety among other 

 the green-house kind. 



OSW t'.GO TEA . See Mona r da . 



OSYRIS, a genus containing a plant of the 

 shrubby kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Dioecia 

 Triandiia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Ca/i/ciflorce. 



The characters are : that in the male, the 

 calyx is a one-leafed perianthium, trilid, turbi- 

 nate: segments equal, ovate, acute : there is no 

 corolla, except a triple nectariferous rim: the 

 stamina have three filaments, very short : anthers 

 roundish, small : in the female, the calyx is a 

 perianthium as in the male, superior, permanent, 

 very small : there is no corolla, as in the male : 

 the pistillum is a turbinate germ, inferior : style 

 the length of the stamens : stigma three-parted, 

 spreading, (roundish) : the pericarpium is a 

 globular berry, one-celled, umbilicated : the 

 seeds bonv, globular, filling the pericarpium. 



The species cultivated is O. alia, Poet's Casia. 



It is a very low shrub, seldom rising above 

 two feet high, having woody branches : the 

 leaves long, narrow, of a bright colour: the 

 flowers of a yellowish colour , succeeded by 

 berries, which at first arc green, and afterwards 

 turn to a bright red colour, like those of the 

 Asparagus. Tt is a native of France, Sic. 



Culture. — These plants are increased, by sow- 

 ing the berries in autumn as soon as ripe, in some 

 gravelly, stony, or similar situation, on the side 

 of a rising ground, either in the places where the 

 plants are to remain, which is the most success- 

 ful, or in a nursery-bed for transplanting. As 

 the seeds often remain two years before they ve- 

 getate, the places should be kept clear from 

 weeds during that time, or till the plants appear. 

 They afterwards require only to be freed from 

 weeds. 



They afford variety m beds, borders, or other 

 places, 1 v the beauty of their fruit, 



OTHONNAj a genua containing plants oi 

 the sli ubby exotic < vcrgreen kind. 



It h longs to the class and ordi l nc.lia 



Poly gam ) saria, and ranks in the natural 

 order of Composil ■ 



The characters are .- that the calyx is common, 

 quite simple, one-leafed, blunt at the base, sharp 

 at the end, equal, divided into eight or twelve 

 segments: the corolla compound, rayed: corol- 

 lets hermaphrodite many, in the disk : females iu 

 the ray, the same number with the segments of 

 the calyx, often eight (about ten,) : proper of the 

 hermaphrodite, tubular, live-toothed, scarcely, 

 longer than the calyx : of the female, ligulate, 

 lanceolate, longer than the calyx, three- toothed, 

 re ! x : the stamina in the hermaphrodites, fila- 

 ments five, capillars very shorl : anther cylindric, 

 tubular, the length of the eorojlet : the pistillum 

 in the hermaphrodites, germ oblong: style fili- 

 form, commonly longer than the stamens : stig- 

 ma bifid, simple : in the females, germ oblong : 

 style filiform, the same length as in the others: 

 stigma reflex, larger: there is no pericarpium : 

 calyx unchanged, permanent : the seeds in the 

 hermaphrodites none: in the females solitary, 

 oblong, naked or downy : the receptacle is nak- 

 ed, dotted : (somewhat villose in the middle, ex- 

 cavated about the edge.) 



The species cultivated are: 1. O. bullosa, 

 Bulbous African Ragwort ; 2. 0. peclinata, 

 Wormwood-leaved African Ragwort; 3. 0. 

 abrotanifolia, Southernwood - leaved African 

 Ragwort ; 4. 0. coronopifolia, Buckshorn-leav- 

 ed African Ragwort ; 5. 0. cheirifolia, Stock- 

 leaved African Ragwort ; 6. 0. arlorescins, 

 Tree African Ragwort. 



The first has a thick shrubby stalk, dividing 

 into several branches, which rise fwc or six feet 

 high; the leaves come out in clusters from one 

 point, spread on every side ; they are smooth, 

 narrow at their base, enlarging gradually to their 

 pi lints, which are rounded ; their edges are acute- 

 ly indented like those of the Holly : from the 

 centre of the leaves arise the foot-stalks of the 

 flowers, which arc five or six inches long, 

 branching out into several smaller, each sustain- 

 ing one yellow radiated flower, shaped like the 

 former; these are succeeded by slender seeds 

 crowned with down. It flowers in May and June. 

 It is herbaceous, and varies with ovate, 

 quite entire leaves; with the root-leaves pin- 

 nate, quite entire; with the leaves linear, very 

 narrow; with the leaves lanceolate, quite en- 

 tire; with the leaves lanceolate, toothed; with 

 the leaves lanccolate-sub-elliptic; with the leaves 



